FE files, lot 55 D 388, “United Nations”
Memorandum by the United Nations Adviser, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs (Bacon), to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson)
- Subject:
- Far Eastern Representation on Major UN Councils.
In the elections just concluded in the General Assembly for Major UN Councils, no Far Eastern states were elected. As of January 1, 1954, China will be the only Far Eastern state on the three Councils which comprise a total membership of 41 seats.
If present procedures are adhered to, there is little prospect of any increase in FE representation on the Councils within the next few years. Under the normal geographic distribution of non-permanent Security Council seats now followed, no provision is made for Far Eastern representation and no Far Eastern state has ever been supported by the United States for, or elected to, the Security Council. So far as the Economic and Social Council is concerned, if a Far Eastern state other than China is to be elected at any future election, it will have to displace a candidate from some other geographic area. So far as the Trusteeship Council is concerned, there will normally be no election until 1955 at which time a Far Eastern candidate would have to displace either a Latin American or a Near Eastern candidate.
I am aware of the special political considerations which influenced the selection of our slates this year, particularly the difficult problems relating to Thailand and Turkey and that our intention to support [Page 514] Indonesia for the Trusteeship Council was frustrated by developments. I am not in any sense lacking in understanding of the decisions reached. The resulting situation, however, is not a salutary one in terms either of developing United States political relations with Far Eastern states most effectively or of strengthening the interest of these states in the UN. I believe, accordingly, that it would be desirable to re-examine our present practices to see if, with foresight and advance planning, we cannot work toward a distribution of scats on these Councils in the future which will give adequate scope to the Far Eastern area.
The following suggestions occur to me:
- 1.
- Economic and Social Council: Under present Departmental practices, one seat on this Council is reserved for rotation among the Scandinavian states and another seat is reserved for the Benelux countries. These two groups of states have received many UN posts and often have to be urged to put forward candidates for election. By contrast, this year we had four Asian states—Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines—actively fighting to obtain the one seat which we regarded as available for an Asian state at this election. This situation might be eased if we reserved one seat for the combined Scandinavian-Benelux group and released the other to permit Far Eastern representation.
- 2.
- Security Council: Under existing procedures, no place is earmarked for the Far East at any time. One seat is, however, reserved for rotation among the Eastern European states and another among the British Commonwealth countries. Consideration might be given to releasing one of these seats on alternate elections for use in the Far East. As we are now proceeding, the “Eastern European seat” rotates between Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey. Practically all of the Commonwealth countries have by now held the Security Council post. The present arrangement was worked out before several Far Eastern states had become UN members and the arrangement is clearly inequitable and obsolete. As it is our position that the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” on geographic distribution of seats was applicable only to the first year and as we have subsequently expanded the application of that arrangement in the case of the Eastern European seat to include Greece and Turkey, there would seem to be no insuperable obstacle to making a further adjustment, so long as the Latin American states are assured that no effort will be made to curtail their representation. To operate under rules which in effect exclude Far Eastern states from any hope of election to the Security Council is to deprive them of privileges to which they are entitled under the Charter.
So far as Chinese representation is concerned, these two suggestions need not create new or added problems. While some of the Far Eastern states have recognized the Chinese Communists, the same is true of some states among the Scandinavian, Benelux and British Commonwealth groups. At the recent ECOSOC elections, for example, we supported Norway for the “Scandinavian seat” although it has recognized the Chinese Communists and does not adhere to the moratorium arrangement. [Page 515] India, which obtained the Trusteeship Council seat, is an ardent advocate of the immediate seating of the Chinese Communists.
Other and better ways of improving on the present situation concerning Far Eastern under-representation on UN Councils may exist. The problem is one which I bring to your attention in the belief that it deserves serious consideration at an early date. I believe also that the whole problem of equitable distribution of seats on major Councils should be kept in mind in connection with Departmental projects on Charter review.